


Between the Lines

by evilkyoot



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Meet-Cute, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:14:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28179687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evilkyoot/pseuds/evilkyoot
Summary: Morgan was tired of her old life and her grandpa gave her the out she needed. She takes a leap of faith and ends up somewhere that might actually be good for her. A story about what I imagine happens between the lines.
Relationships: Sebastian/Female Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. The Will

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grandpa gives Moe the out she needs...

Morgan, or Moe as everyone called her, groaned as she buried her face in her arms. After a long day of what she called bitch work, she found herself in her mother's kitchen complaining once again about her shitty job--the only one she could get after college. "Well, honey, what happened to applying to another job? How's that going?" her sweet mother asked as she placed a glass of milk and cookies in front of her.

Moe let out another groan and peeked up at her mother, hazel eyes glassy from unshed tears. "Mama, you know I'm still applying but even though I get interviews I get the same response-- 'We really like you but we decided to go with someone who has more experience in the field.' I swear I'm gonna be a JojaCo drone for the rest of my life!" she wailed and buried her face in her arms again. "I'm gonna die at my desk like Gary!"

At that moment, Moe's father entered the kitchen and looked at his wife quizzically and she, in turn, shrugged. "Well, sweetie, I have something that might cheer you up. Do you remember the letter your grandpa left you before he passed? Didn’t he say to open it when you ever felt like...well I guess like this. "

Moe's head shot up, eyes wide, and tears clinging to her eyelashes. " Letter?!" She and her siblings had been very close to their grandfather, spending their childhood summers on his farm, but Moe felt like she and her grandfather had a special connection. Certainly, she was the only one who seemed to enjoy spending summers at Acorn Farm as she got older when her siblings simply dreaded spending even just a part of their summer in boring old Pelican Town. 

Unfortunately, when grandpa passed away 10 years ago he didn't leave a will and ownership of the farm was still in contention between her dad and his siblings. Well, more like in contention with dad's brother and his greedy wife Rhonda; his sisters (who were successful doctors) couldn't care less. “I completely forgot about it…” she murmured. Her eyes got misty again and her body seemed to deflate as she recalled, “I don’t know where it is, papa. I don’t remember where it went after gramps’ funeral; that whole time was just a blur.” Moe sniffled and wiped her eyes with her sleeves, the pain of her grandpa’s passing once again fresh in her mind.

Her dad reached out and patted his daughter’s head. “Don’t worry, honey; your mom and I knew it would slip your mind and we kept it safe for you.” Moe took a sharp intake of breath through her nose as her mother set a wax sealed envelope in front of her. There it was--a white envelope, a little crumpled and yellowed with age, with a red seal and, at the bottom, with her grandpa’s handwriting, ‘ _To Moe, for the day when you feel crushed by the burden of modern life and your bright spirit fades before a growing emptiness’_ , the same words he had said to her when he gave her the letter.

She grabbed the letter and held it to her chest, as fresh tears rolled off of her cheeks. “Thank you mama, papa. You guys are the best.”

* * *

Moe sighed for the umpteenth time that day as she stared at the spreadsheet on her computer without seeing. Last night had been the same song and dance of her going to her parents’ house to complain about her shitty job and shitty life. They always listened and her mother had gotten much better about not reprimanding her for not going to nursing school like her sisters or even trade school like her brother. The three of them were successful and content with their lives in Zuzu City but Moe had never felt like that.

Her computer beeped as an IM came in from her boss. ‘ _Your productivity is down, Ms. Hart. Please remedy this by end of week to avoid a write up.’_ She sighed again as she rubbed her forehead, trying to keep an oncoming migraine at bay. That day started with her manager yelling at her for errors on a spreadsheet that her coworker had made. Of course, she couldn’t really trust her coworkers to be honourable and own up to their mistakes when the company constantly threatens to replace them.

Moe pursed her lips and slid open her desk drawer to reveal her grandpa’s letter peeking up at her. She hadn’t opened it yet, saving it for when she _really_ needed his words of comfort. Opening that drawer that day just to stare at the letter had given her minor comfort, but the coil in her chest had continued to wind up tightly and she felt like she could explode at any moment.

Another beep from her computer and she looked up. Another message from her boss. _‘Also, a reminder that your yearly review is coming up. I am inclined to make you aware that you will most likely not be receiving the raise you requested.’_

Moe read the words once again and felt her blood boil. She bit back a scream and buried her face in her hands. She had been with the company for three years and had been praised for her efficiency and hard work when she started and she had been blinded by promises of raises and promotions. However, over the years, she had been skipped over for any advancement while JojaCo’s expectations just kept rising to new heights. She was exhausted and tired and empty. 

Biting back another scream, she grabbed the letter and ripped the seal open--no better time than the present, when she felt like she could combust at any second. Her eyes raked over the words and as she processed them, her shoulders relaxed and her teeth ungritted.

_Dear Moe,_

_If you're reading this, you must be in dire need of a change._

_The same thing happened to me long ago. I'd lost sight of what mattered most in life...real connections with other people and nature. So I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong._

_I've enclosed the deed to that place...my pride and joy: Acorn Farm. It's located in Stardew Valley, on the southern coast. It's the perfect place to start your new life._

_This was my most precious gift of all, and now it's yours. I know you'll honour the family name, my dear. Good luck._

_Love, Grandpa_

Hurriedly, she flipped through the pages and there it was! The missing will to Acorn Farm! 

Hot tears rolled down her cheeks and splattered on the page, marring her grandfather’s handwriting. Moe quickly wiped her tears away and patted the letter dry with a facial tissue. She couldn’t believe that her grandfather had left her the farm because he knew that one day she would get tired of city life, just as he did. She wasn’t mistaken that they were truly kindred souls.

Without a second thought, Moe folded up the letter and the will and stuffed them in her bag. She pulled up a new email and typed:

_Please take this as my two weeks notice, effective immediately._

_Kind regards, Morgan Hart_

With zero regrets in her heart and a spring in her step, Moe sent the email to her boss. She didn’t even bother shutting down her computer as she grabbed her bag and coat and hurriedly rushed out of the office, her boss shrieking, “HART!” just a buzz in her ears.

When she finally exited the windowless hellhole that was JojaCo HQ, the sun was in the winter sky and, though spring was still a few weeks away, it warmed her face as she tilted her face up towards it. For the first time in forever, Moe felt light and free, even the usual sounds of rude people and honking that was characteristic of Zuzu City felt like a distant din. 

She allowed herself a few more moments before digging out her phone and dialing her dad’s number from memory. “Papa, I have some news!” she said excitedly into the phone when he picked up. She started chattering to him excitedly as she walked into a hair salon, determined to get the hairstyle she always wanted now that she was no longer a corporate drone.


	2. Acorn Farm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moe's first day on the farm wasn't as ideal as she thought..

Moe wasn’t able to move to Acorn Farm immediately, as she had originally thought. When she found the will, she had thought that the contention for the property could finally come to an end but her Uncle Steve and his wife Rhonda was not willing to let the matter rest. They even brought it to court, but was overturned the moment that the judge realized that no one but Moe was even mentioned in the will.

They contacted the witness signatory, Mayor Lewis Marshall, to try to bully him into admitting that their father was not of sound mind when he signed the will, but that was also immediately shot down.

All in all, it took Moe two weeks to really prepare for her departure. She moved out of her apartment and, temporarily, into her parents’ house. She sold all of her furniture and she planned on moving to the farm with only a suitcase full of clothes, her phone, her laptop, and her Xstation 4 (and some games).

Ultimately, she waited until after the Feast of the Winter Star to move to Pelican Town, so she could spend the holidays with her family. 

And finally, now, on the last day of Winter, she was on her way to her destiny, with a cheerful bop on the radio as she sped down the empty road in her car, windows rolled down, and her newly dyed magenta hair flowing with the breeze. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so hopeful as she hummed along to the song.

She got to the turn that was supposed to take her to the farm and slowed down as she came upon a beatdown bus parked on a dirt road, under a sign welcoming visitors to Pelican Town. She looked over and noted the dirt road. ‘Ah, so that hasn’t changed,’ she thought to herself as she pushed her sunglasses up on her head. For the first time in weeks, her anxiety started nipping at her but she gingerly pressed on the gas but had to brake again when a red haired woman came out from behind the bus and started waving at her, a bright smile on her face.

Moe briefly considered speeding off, a little creeped out by the friendliness, but decided to fight against her city sensibilities. She rolled down her window further and stuck an arm out. “Hello,” she called out uncertainly.

The woman walked up to the window and leaned down, smiling at her. “Hello! You must be Morgan Hart?” she asked in a cheerful tone. 

Moe nodded and smiled nervously. “Y-yeah, but you can call me Moe.” 

“Okay, Moe!” the woman continued. “I’m Robin Wright, the local carpenter. Mayor Lewis sent me here to fetch you and show you the way to your new home. He’s there right now, tidying things up for your arrival!” 

“Oh, is that so?” Moe had been in contact with Mayor Lewis since the debacle with her aunt and uncle. He had been a kind old man, an old friend of her grandpa’s who remembered her but whom she only vaguely remembered. He was the one who suggested that she move in Spring rather than the dead of Winter.

She unlocked the car and smiled up at Robin. “Okay, I’ll drive and you give me directions.” 

* * *

As they drove up to the farm, Moe could feel her stomach lurch. The farm looked abandoned and decrepit. There were trees, boulders, and deadwood everywhere, and a sea of grass as far as the eye could see. In the distance, she could see the old barn and coop, looking like they would topple over if she even just  _ breathed _ in their direction.

The farmhouse was in no better condition; She didn’t know how liveable it was going to be and she was worried she would have to find some place else to stay while it got repaired. ‘Did I make a bad decision?’ she wondered to herself as she and Robin got out of the car. She chewed on her bottom lip anxiously and Robin noticed.

“What’s the matter?” she asked the nervous girl. “Sure, it’s a bit overgrown, but there’s some good soil underneath that mess. With a little dedication you’ll have it cleaned up in no time,” she assured.

At that moment, the farmhouse door opened and a man with a gray mustache and a pageboy cap walked out. “Ah! The new farmer!” he exclaimed. “Welcome! I’m Lewis, Mayor of Pelican Town. You know, everyone’s been asking about you. It’s not everyday someone new moves in it’s quite a big deal.” He was very jolly as he spoke, unaware of the somersaults Moe’s stomach was doing due to his words. People already knew about her?! “So you’re moving into your grandfather’s old cottage. It’s a good house...very,” the mayor paused as he searched for the right word. “Rustic,” he finally continued.

Moe turned as she heard Robin snort beside her. “Rustic? That’s one way to put it,” she said, laughing. “Crusty might a little more apt, though.” 

Lewis huffed and visibly bristled at the carpenter’s words. “Rude!” He fixed his gaze on Moe, a reassuring smile on his face. “ Don’t listen to her, Moe. She’s just trying to make you dissatisfied so that you buy one of her house upgrades.” 

This obviously insulted Robin, who pouted and crossed her arms in response. ‘She’s not wrong though,’ Moe thought to herself, panic now making her heart palpitate against her chest. She remained silent as her eyes examined everything, trying to decide what project she would sic Robin on first.

“Anyway…” Lewis continued after clearing his throat. “You must be tired from the long journey. You should get some rest. Tomorrow you ought to explore the town and introduce yourself. The townspeople would appreciate it.” He scooted past her but paused by the mailbox, snapping his fingers. “Oh, I almost forgot. If you have anything to sell, just place it in this box here. I’ll come by during the night to collect it. Well...good luck!” He said cheerfully and waved as he walked down the dirt road leaving the farm.

Robin patted her on the shoulder and started to leave as well, but Moe grabbed her sleeve, hazel eyes wide with fear and uncertainty. “Robin, I’m going to need your help,” she squeaked.

The carpenter chuckled and draped an arm over the young girl’s shoulders. “I figure that’s why Mayor Lewis asked me to come meet you first. Why don’t you take my number and we’ll set something up for tomorrow?”

“Deal!”

* * *

Moe sat on her patio, sipping a glass of the wine she had brought to celebrate her new home as she reviewed her day.

As soon as she had entered the old farmhouse, she had found the old, rusty tools that Lewis had placed on the dining table for her, along with a box of parsnip seeds to ‘get her started’. She explored the old farmhouse (as little of it there was to explore) and Mayor Lewis had closed off the second floor and pantry, and a majority of the kitchen. 

All she was really left with was the main part of the house that housed a bed and a tv and a bathroom, reminding her of her teeny studio apartment in Zuzu City. “Mayor Lewis asked me to make sure the foundation was okay and the house has good bones,” Robin had told her. “I tidied up this area a bit, but the stairs to the second floor and the pantry are badly damaged and the rooms on the main floor are unlivable. We can crunch some numbers tomorrow, but I don’t think the situation is as bad as it could be. Y’know what I mean?” 

Moe knew exactly what Robin meant. She was shocked at the state of the farm; for all the years that Uncle Steve and Rhonda had fought for ownership of the land, they never once visited to check on it. She was surprised that there was even any part of the farmhouse she could live in.

“Probably meant to sell it,” she had grumbled to herself as she used a hoe to break up the soil so she could plant the seeds the mayor had gifted her instead of resting. “Greedy bastards.” She could feel the sweat forming on her brow but she continued, determined to have something done before her first night on the farm. She had tidied up a small section of the field in front of the house and with help from search engine Moogle, she had the seeds planted and watered before the sun had even set.

After a quick shower and a meal of bean hotpot that the mayor had left her, she decided to enjoy the early spring evening on the patio with a glass of wine. Her legs dangled over the deck as she studied the lay of the land--it was certainly not the farm she had grown up on and though she still felt anxious, she decided that she wanted to at least attempt to bring Acorn Farm back to its glory days.

Moe rubbed her shoulder and cricked her neck. She knew she should try to get some sleep, but she still felt restless despite the hard labour she had subjected herself to. She checked her WellBell watch and ‘8:15 PM’ flashed up at her. She sighed; no wonder why she was restless; in the city she never went to bed earlier than 11.

She stretched her arms over her head and hopped down from the deck, her feet making a soft ‘thud’ as she landed. “Might as well go for a walk.”

* * *

Moe had gone up the path that Robin had told her would lead to her house in the mountains. ‘At least if I get lost, I’ll eventually end up at her place,’ she reasoned as she trudged up the hill. She had to admit that Stardew Valley was particularly beautiful. The only sounds were of nature and, occasionally, of the train passing by--such a stark comparison to Zuzu City where cars were perpetually honking and people yelling rude obscenities to each other.

Within an hour, she had found herself seemingly at the top, with a view of the town’s streetlights just below. She took in a sharp intake of breath as her heart thrummed in her chest at the view.

Eventually, she noticed a path leading down hill and she followed it, ending in front of a house with two signs above the door for ‘Wright’s Carpentry’ and another sign for ‘Wright Labs’, which was most likely for Robin’s husband Demetrius.

Moe’s ears twitched as she heard water lapping and she followed the sound, ending up on the edge of a mountain lake. “Wow!” she exclaimed in a whisper, her eyes taking in the view of the lake, reflecting the night sky.

“It’s just water; no need to get so excited,” someone said. She jolted and turned, eyes wide and landing on a man leaning against a tree, one hand in his pocket as he smoked. He blended into the darkness, with his dark asymmetrical hair and his black clothes.

“Uh…” she responded dumbly. Silence fell over the two of them as he took a long drag.

“You a tourist?” he asked after a moment.

Moe shook her head. “N-no, I’m moving into the farm?” she squeaked out, a little sure she was going to be murdered before she could even truly begin her life in Stardew Valley. She could see the headlines now--’Peace disturbed in Stardew Valley after city girl found dead’.

The man raised an eyebrow at her and gave her, what she was certain, were elevator eyes. “You Moe?” She gulped and nodded. The corner of his mouth lifted up into a smirk. “Not what I expected, but not complaining.” He flicked the remainder of his cigarette into the lake. “My name’s Sebastian,” he continued. “See you around, farmer.” 

Without another word, he pushed away from the tree and walked away from the lake. Moe was still prepared to run if he made one wrong move. But a moment passed, and then another before she heard a door open and close and the sudden realization that that was most likely Robin’s son, Sebastian, who she insisted Moe should try to be friends with. 

The young farmer let out a breath that she wasn’t even aware she was holding. “Oh man, I need to remember this isn’t the city..” she muttered to herself, running her fingers through her hair in exasperation. 

She soon found a path leading up the hill behind the Wright’s home and she decided to take that way back to the farm. She buried her hands in her pockets as she walked up the hill, muttering to herself, unaware of a rustling at the top and only stopped, nervous when she noticed a bush moving. 

Moe gasped as a shadow creeped out and a small squeak left her throat as it straightened up to its full height.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surnames borrowed from: https://steamcommunity.com/app/413150/discussions/0/385429254932412489/

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! See you in chapter two!


End file.
